(VIDEO) Hudson wants to rehab bridges over Brandywine Creek

Hudson -- Residents who live in the Winston Manor subdivision learned how the river runs through their neighborhood.

The city invited the public to an open house April 10 at the Barlow Community Center to hear about the planned rehabilitation of the two bridges that span Brandywine Creek.

Brandywine Creek and Brandywine Creek Tributary flow through the Winston Manor subdivision northwest of the Prospect Street and North Main Street intersection. The subdivision was constructed in 1989 and included two new bridge crossings over Brandywine at Blackberry Drive and Brandywine Drive.

The work on the Brandywine Drive Bridge is anticipated to take 90 days and will require a road closure for a portion of the construction. The work on Blackberry Drive Bridge will take approximately 60 days, and Blackberry Drive will remain open to traffic for the duration of the construction.

Project Manager Chris Papp said the work could begin in the fall.

The project is funded from a grant from the Ohio Department of Transportation Municipal Funding, according to Jody Roberts, communications manager. The approximate total cost of the project is $750,000 and the ODOT grant is $600,000.

Most residents in the area remember the flood in 2003 when they had rivers flowing through their yards, and storm drains were overwhelmed by the amount of water.

Ed and Bee Lim live on Blackberry Drive near the bridge and said their basement had more than 5 feet of water in it during the flood.

Jim and Carolyn Hanna live on Brandywine Drive and said dredging of the creek by the city after the flood helped keep waters out of the yards.

"I'm very happy they're going forward and improving the bridge and the flow," Jim Hanna said. "Increasing the flow is a step in the right direction."

Council member Dennis Hanink, who lives in the area, attended the meeting. He said he noticed the sidewalks buckling and cosmetic work needs to be done on the bridge.

Because of the realignment of Brandywine Creek, the city submitted a remediation plan to FEMA in 2010 to lower the stream bottom and line the bottom with concrete to prevent the bridge footing from erosion, which was approved. This is part of the work to be done.

The work at both bridges includes concrete bottom to protect footers; remove stone veneer on the headwall and wing walls and apply paint/stain to existing concrete; remove and replace the decorative railing on each side of the road; and replace sidewalk, according to the information sheet provided by the city engineering department.

The Brandywine Drive Bridge also will include work to remove an existing parapet and waterproof the bridge, which will require pavement, curb and sidewalk replacement over the bridge.

The city has provided three options for the concrete form pattern on the decorative railing posts. Similar post and railings were used on the Atterbury Street project.

Citizens wishing to provide feedback have until May 10. The feedback should be mailed to: City of Hudson Engineering, 115 Executive Parkway, Suite 400, Hudson, OH 44236, Attn: Chris Papp or email Chris at cpapp@hudson.oh.us.